Week three:
Alarm goes off at 3 a.m. Now picture the last thing you want to do in the world at this time. And what is it? Getting out of bed? That's what I figured. SO THEN LET'S DO IT!!!!!!
Hey you! Yeah you over there in the clothes! I'm Casey Ross Schooff the 1st and I'll be your tour guide for today. I'm going to show you Sabji Mandi - a farmers market in Amritsar, India where locals typically purchase mass quantities of produce. Don't mind the staring men behind me. They are only staring because this is probably only the 1st or 2nd time they have ever seen a foreigner (let alone a woman) in the market before. Well aren't I just the cats pajamas.
It's 3 a.m. and the only thing getting me through the rampant flies and 90 degree heat are a couple puppies I found playing in the dirt. This is of no importance to my blog at all, but I wanted everyone to fully appreciate just how amazing puppies are...especially at 3 a.m...even more especially in India. In addition, I think the puppies are a crucial element in setting the scene.
Now, to give you a little background: My group and I went to the farmers market to purchase vegetables (ginger, onion, green chilis, and two types of squash) to donate to the Golden Temple. As I've said before, the Golden Temple has cooked meals for over 70,000 people everyday for more than 400 years. This is made possible by donations from individuals and families. Sometimes people will sponsor the food for the Golden Temple for an entire day, some for a week. The food that we purchased was estimated to feed about 20,000 people (only about 1/3 to 1/4 of the expected crowd for the day).
And let's give a round of applause for the farmers that make this possible!! Something tells me that the man on the right should pursue a profession other than farming...say uh...star in the "The Dark Knight" as the next Joker? I mean, he has the look down to a science.
show me the food
A typical day is spent completely different here. Imagine a life without sleeping in until 10 a.m. on your day off. Imagine a life without air conditioning. Imagine a life without breaks. Imagine your lifestyle being completely dependent on the weather. For these men, there are no breaks, there are no weekends, there are no accommodations. Most simply work to eat the next day. The market is up and running before the sun comes out at 5:30 a.m. Think about them the next time you choose to sit on your couch and re-watch the entire Grey's Anatomy series for the 3RD TIME IN A ROW. And if you do choose to do that, appreciate the luxury of being able to sit in an air conditioned room with nothing to do for even 30 minutes. Because what may seem "little" or "insignificant" to you could be life changing to someone else.
Look at all those ONIONS...And if you don't understand the reference:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-X4SLhorvw
It's a must see.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-X4SLhorvw
It's a must see.
Realizing now that I probably took this picture while hallucinating about puppies because no one really cares to see a close up of onions. Except for maybe these guys:
"Did someone say....onions?"
It is amazing watching stray dogs, horses, and cows walk aimlessly around the market, feeding on bruised vegetables and garbage. Especially in terms of the cows, farmers treat them like part of the landscape. It is easier to conceptualize the high percentage of vegetarianism when you are working side by side with a cow for a majority of the day. It's almost like the cow and the farmer have a mutual respect for each other.
It is amazing watching stray dogs, horses, and cows walk aimlessly around the market, feeding on bruised vegetables and garbage. Especially in terms of the cows, farmers treat them like part of the landscape. It is easier to conceptualize the high percentage of vegetarianism when you are working side by side with a cow for a majority of the day. It's almost like the cow and the farmer have a mutual respect for each other.
I couldn't not take a "Where's Casey" picture.
And if you copy the URL www.bancilantroforever.com into your search bar, you can sign yet another petition to ban cilantro forever. Real time example of how looks can be deceiving - even true in the plant world.
This selfie is a perfect example of photobomb inception. But it really shows how accustom the animals are to being around humans. I am judging this solely on the fact that I wasn't attacked from behind. Although it does look like he's about to do something rather peculiar with his tongue.
As a wise man once said, "Hate to see you go, love to watch you leave."